US military updates list of potential targets in Syria as pressure mounts on Obama

The Pentagon has updated its list of potential targets in Syria should US President Barack Obama decide to intervene militarily in the country, CNN reported on Friday, citing a US Defense Department official.

The report came as pressure is mounting on Obama to take action against the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad in the wake of allegations that he killed more than 1,000 people in chemical weapons attacks on Wednesday.

The US defense official told CNN that target lists for air strikes in Syria had been updated, and plans for using cruise missiles capable of targeting Syria without entering the country’s airspace had also been included.

The official stated that the US had made no decision to act in Syria, but rather the targets were updated “to give the president a current and comprehensive range of choices.”